Introduction to Food Safety Guidelines in Malaysia

Every country in the world has its own food safety guidelines as mandated by legislation and adoption of global standards. Some countries have more stringent policies and therefore have stiff regulations. All companies dealing with any type of food should adhere to these regulations and must meet the required standards. All food safety guidelines in Malaysia are in accordance with the best practices around the world.

Food safety guidelines, legislations and standards are necessary to ensure unsafe products do not find their way into the market and hence to protect the consumers from a plethora of health risks. Food production, distribution and processing companies should have good manufacturing processes and they must comply with relevant laws at all times. There are regulatory authorities of the government and independent bodies that enforce food safety guidelines in Malaysia.

Global Food Safety Initiative Standards

The food safety guidelines in Malaysia are in accordance with the provisions laid down by the Global Food Safety Initiative. GFSI provides leadership and is considered as the leading authority in systems of food safety management. GFSI has several benchmarks to ensure food safety and these have been more or less adopted by most nations on the planet. The systems of food safety management take into account the commitment of senior managers or owners of business to support continuous improvement of processes, relevant planning for every category of food, quality assurance, site standards, product control, process control and personnel training.

Malaysian Food Safety Standards

Food safety guidelines in Malaysia are mandated by the Food Act 1983, Food Regulation 1985 and Food Hygiene Regulation 2009. There are quality and audit standards in the country, including International Food Standard or IFS, British Retail Consortium or BRC, American Institute of Baking or AIB, Global Food Safety Initiative or GFSI, Good Manufacturing Practice or GMP, Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point or HACCP, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 22000:2005, Safe Quality Food Certification or SQFC, Malaysian Standard MS 1500:2009 for Halal Food, Yum Food Safety Audit and Customer Food Safety Audits.

Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point or HACCP is a systematic approach to ensure food safety. It is one of the most widely adopted standards for food safety in the world. The objective of HACCP is to prevent contamination of food from chemical, biological, physical & radiological hazards. HACCP was originally developed to regulate manufacturing of food for the space program of the United States of America. The processes ensure foods are free of bacteria and viruses, pesticides, natural toxins, residues of drugs, parasites, additives, allergens, radioactive substances and decomposed materials.